


Effect of Flannel

by cat-danvers (livinginthemoonlight)



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe, City!Cat, Does Kara have powers?, F/F, Fluff, Lumberjack AU, Lumberjill!Kara, Or maybe she's just buff, SuperCat Slam, buff kara, cat appreciates kara's biceps, lots of fluff, my gayness can be seen from space, pinning, supercat, this is very gay, two idiots in love, we'll see
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-28
Updated: 2017-01-28
Packaged: 2018-09-20 00:00:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 16,178
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9466511
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/livinginthemoonlight/pseuds/cat-danvers
Summary: Cat Grant takes a leave of absence from CatCo and goes away to a hidden cabin retreat in Minnesota where she meets the owner and literal lumberjill Kara Danvers





	1. Two Portraits Filled In

**Author's Note:**

> Guys, the first chapter of the supercat lumberjack au!! I'm excited. I actually wrote an outline for this fic this time he.  
> It's sooo gay, my gayness can totally be seen from space.  
> I should have the next chapter soon so enjoy!!!
> 
> I would like to thank thatmetalbenderlinbeifong for being an awesome beta and correcting my many mistakes

Cat took a deep breath of the clear, crisp air. After such a long drive it felt good to stretch her legs, to throw her arms up over her head and let out a guttural groan. There was no one there to listen to it anyway.

Even though it was July, the afternoon air felt cold to her exposed arms, goosebumps making the hairs on them stand on end. It was definitely cooler than what she had become accustomed to in National City.

Leaning back against the hood of her silver Escalade, she pulled her sunglasses up to rest on her head. This was definitely the place. The sign to her left said ‘Rivergold Cabin Retreat’ in neat bold letters.

It was bigger than she expected which was a pleasant surprise. She could see the whole magnitude of the place from the hill she was on: She had wanted to take a good look at the place she would be spending the next three months in before driving down, almost disappointed that she couldn’t find any faults in the place - not even a bug flying around, the fading sun giving everything a soft glow.

Taking a sip of the mug of coffee she was holding, she let her her thoughts wander back to the place where they seemed to be permanently stuck on: CatCo. She missed it already; the familiarity, the routine, the packed agenda - although she had to admit there was a thrill to having her days unplanned. It made her feel hopeful, like anything could happen.

She would never admit it to anyone but she had known it was time for her to step down. Too close to burnout that she could no longer see the big picture, she decided it would be best to take some time off. Dive, conquer new seas - forests in this case.

Which brought her to this exact moment and place in time. Here she was, in Minnesota, about to embark on a journey of self-imposed isolation and self-discovery, hoping at least a book to come out of this experience.

She rolled her eyes at her own sentimentality and got into her car, slipping her sunglasses - and thus her Queen of All Media persona - back in place.

 

°°°°°

 

She drove down the hill, following a winding road through the forest until she reached the main building - it had about four stories and according to the website this was where the gym, gift shop, pool, offices, library and cafeteria were located.

Parking right in front of it, she drummed her fingers nervously on the steering wheel before rolling her eyes at herself and exiting the car. She strutted in - she was Cat freaking Grant - and walked up to the woman smiling politely at her from behind the front desk.

“Hello, and welcome to Rivergold. How may I assist you today?” Cat rolled her eyes at the clearly rehearsed line, the gesture going completely unnoticed since she was still wearing her shades.

“I seem to have a cabin reserved to my name.” she shrugged nonchalantly as if it wasn’t a big deal; as if this place wasn’t uber expensive and snobbishly exclusive.

“All right! What is your name?”

Cat raised her eyebrows and, in an overly dramatic gesture, she purposefully removed the sunglasses from her face - slowly - revealing penetrating green eyes and her trademark glare. If she was going to be stuck here she might as well have some little fun.

She noticed with satisfaction that the color had left the receptionist’s face. The poor woman - Kelly the name tag said - opened her mouth to stutter a lame apology, no doubt, but was saved by a very cheerful voice coming from behind them.

“That is Cat Grant, Kelly. The Queen of All Media herself.”

Cat turned and found herself staring into soulful blue eyes belonging to a stunning blonde woman. She was grinning broadly, hair pulled back into a ponytail, wearing a blue flannel shirt folded at the elbows that hinted at muscular arms and tight black jeans, face adorned with glasses.

She met the sunny smile with a scathing glare, it was simply inevitable: It had been a long drive, the receptionist had failed to recognize her - so she was already starting to feel dread at being away from her kingdom -, she felt the urgent desire to pee and this woman was grinning so broadly her cheeks must feel numb.

“And who might _you_ be?”

“Oh, um.” The woman fiddled with her glasses then stretched out her hand. “Kara Danvers, owner and general manager of Rivergold.”

 _Oh_. Cat assessed the woman carefully instead of shaking her hand. _Kara_ was young, 25 at most. Good-looking too. She looked… familiar. Cat couldn’t exactly pinpoint how, but couldn’t shake off the feeling either. Something about her too-big-for-her-face grin… 

She was waiting for Kara’s smile to leave her face and her hand to drop down in defeat when she failed to reciprocate but the woman remained impassive. There was a glint in her eyes; a challenge. Cat liked it and decided to allow this small victory to the intriguing woman by shaking her hand firmly - noticing how soft, and warm it was.

They kept eye contact the whole time, the former CEO very aware of the way Kara’s grin became even bigger, crinkling the corners of her eyes. If the handshake lasted more than what etiquette deemed necessary neither acknowledged it.

“Kelly, would you be so kind as to hand me the key to Miss Grant’s cabin?” There was that twinkle in her eye again. “I’ll personally show her around.”

 

°°°°°

They climbed into Cat’s car while Kara spat out random facts about the place at an incredible speed. There were a total of 12 cabins scattered throughout the retreat, each designed differently. They were all carefully positioned to be within walking distance of the main building that contained everything that Cat had already read about on the website. Apparently, there was also a picnic area at the edge of a small lake.

Kara’s incessant rambling would normally have given her a migraine but, as she studied the younger woman carefully, she came to the realization that it was a product of nervousness - if the way she kept wringing her hands together was any indication. It was… oddly endearing.

“Kiera, if you’re gonna sit there and recite a badly scripted Discovery Channel documentary I’m leaving right this instant.”

That shut her up like magic - the taller woman snapped her mouth shut with such force that Cat could actually hear the snap of her jaw -, and she blushed to the tip of her ears.

“I apologize, Miss Grant.” she tugged at the end of her flannel shirt nervously.

Cat waved her apology away with a well-practiced flourish of her hand. “Just take me to my cabin.”

“Right! Um, just drive through this road and turn left at the sign that says ‘White Bear’.”

“White Bear?” Cat raised an eyebrow but followed Kara’s instructions, the crunch of gravel beneath the wheels not entirely unpleasant.

“That would be the name of your cabin.” Kara said, adjusting the glasses on her face.

Cat made no further comment, opting to follow the driving directions instead. Soon enough they were following an obviously manually cleared path through the woods. She looked through her rearview mirror as the rest of the cabins and buildings were left behind. Kara noticed and softly chuckled.

“You asked for the farthest, most secluded cabin, didn’t you? I recall your assistant - Miss Teschmacher is it? - saying over the phone that you wanted to be ‘so far away from everyone that if you sneezed you would hear the sound reverberate through endless miles of silent forest’. Did you really tell her that?” Kara laughed again. 

“It worked, didn’t it?” Cat snapped, gripping the steering wheel tighter. This beautiful woman making fun of her irked her.

“Yes, it did. Well… not exactly.”

Cat turned to glare at the other woman sharply making Kara throw her hands up in mock surrender.

“I just mean that it’s literally impossible to be in absolute silence. Birds have an annoying habit of chirping throughout the day, you know?”

Cat went back to looking at the road in front of her, rolling her eyes in response.

“Up ahead you’ll reach a crossroad, Miss Grant. Follow through the left.”

She did as instructed, and soon enough she could see a cabin up ahead.

“Where does the road to the right lead to?” The older woman asked as they arrived at a beautiful three-leveled luxury cabin. She could finally turn around to look at Kara.

“There’s only one other cabin in the vicinity. ‘Argos.’” Kara shrugged nonchalantly. Cat’s face must’ve conveyed some sort of annoyance because she quickly added “Don’t worry, it’s far enough to give you plenty of privacy.”

Cat looked thoughtfully at the place she’d be staying at for the next three months before shutting off the engine. Kara was staring expectantly at her so she quickly exited the car, walking up the wooden stairs to the main entrance.

“Well, here it is!” the younger woman chirped excitedly, unlocking the double doors with a swift movement. “After you, Miss Grant.”

Cat stepped into the foyer, surveying the place with a pleased smile. She was greeted by polished wood floors and a graceful banister that curved upwards into heaven most likely. Further ahead she could distinguish an exquisitely furnished sitting room settled around a pompous fireplace and a small corridor that probably led to the kitchen.

She could feel Kara’s warm presence behind her even before she started to speak. “The kitchen is fully stocked with everything on the list your assistant sent. It will be restocked twice a week but if you need anything else you can call the main building any day.”

“Will _you_ answer the phone?” Cat teased, finally feeling at ease. She could definitely envision herself spending her time in this place which was an immense relief. Not knowing for sure if she would feel comfortable had been a constant nagging worry in the back of her mind.

Kara chuckled and the shorter woman had to suppress a shiver when she felt her warm breath on the back of her neck. “I’m afraid that’s Kelly’s job, Miss Grant.”

Cat shrugged nonchalantly. “I had to try.”

She took another step further into the incredibly cozy-looking cabin, hands twitching with an itch to explore it.

“Would you like me to help you unload the car?”

 _Oh_. She had forgotten about _that_. Turning back to regard the younger woman she found her far closer than she had taken into account. She was suddenly faced with warm blue eyes, merely inches away. Taking an unusually long moment to draft her response, she was finally able to come up with a phrase to channel the unwavering confidence she was known for - confidence which seemed to have jumped out the window leaving her alone with this is beautiful woman.

“What, no bellboy?” She was incredibly proud her voice didn’t waver, since oxygen had the nerve to leave her lungs. “I’ll be sure to leave a note in the suggestion box in that regard.”

“You should talk to the owner about that.” Kara teased back and from this distance Cat could tell she had some stray freckles on her nose.

The former CEO stepped out into the front porch with her trademark eye roll, suddenly grateful for the cool air that immediately hit her skin. Kara wasted no time and gracefully sprinted towards the SUV, pulling the trunk open and piling all of Cat’s bags into her arms like they weighed nothing.

“I’ll just take these upstairs into the master bedroom.” came Kara’s muffled voice from behind the pile of things. 

Before Cat could dwell too much on it, Kara had already disappeared up the stairs, taking two at a time. She would be lying if she said she didn’t find it impressive.

Left on her own with her thoughts, the older woman decided to look for the kitchen. She should probably look for the restroom too but that could wait until Kara left. Following the corridor she had seen earlier, she indeed arrived at the kitchen. Just as promised it was fully equipped and after a quick search through the cabinets it indeed seemed to have everything she’d ordered. 

“Trust me when I say everything on your list is there. I bought everything and stocked the fridge and pantry myself.”

Cat jumped almost a foot in the air barely suppressing an undignified shriek of surprise. Clutching her chest dramatically, she turned to glare at the sunny blonde that was reclined on the doorframe.

“You-” she panted, because her heart was still beating manically inside her ribcage. “Don’t you _ever_ \- I almost wet myself in fear!” Okay, she hadn’t meant to say that out loud but she’d been embarrassingly close to doing so. 

Meanwhile, Kara had turned three different shades of red and seemed completely mortified. “Miss Grant! I am so sorry! I didn’t mean to startle you!”

“ _Startle_ me? You almost gave me a heart attack!” Maybe Cat was overreacting now. Her heart rate was definitely back to normal already.

“I apologize again, Miss Grant. I promise it won’t happen again.” Kara had taken a few steps toward her and had her hands lifted in a placating gesture. She seemed genuinely remorseful, something Cat didn’t witness very often.

“Apology accepted, Kiera.” deciding to go easy on the younger woman, she instead tried to focus on regaining some of her dignity back. “What were you saying about the kitchen?”

Kara seemed relieved at having been forgiven as she walked a few steps closer to Cat, the kitchen island being the only thing separating them. “I, um, was telling you that I stocked the kitchen myself so you shouldn’t worry about it.”

Cat lifted an eyebrow in surprise. “Don’t you pay people to do that?”

“Most of the time, yes.” she shyly fiddled with her glasses, looking anywhere but at Cat’s sharp green eyes. “But you don’t welcome Cat Grant as a guest everyday. I know that you expect and only deserve the best so I wanted to make sure everything was perfect.”

Cat was deeply surprised at the answer and maybe a little touched if she was being honest. Searching Kara’s face she found only sincerity and timidness - she wasn’t just saying it to please her. She felt something warm bloom in her chest, something she quickly tamped down as her mind searched for something witty to say to break the spell. 

“Hmm. And how would you know that, exactly?” she playfully asked because this wasn’t the time to get emotional or dwell on strange feelings that spread through one’s chest without invitation. She’d only wish Kara would let her pretty blue eyes meet hers.

“Oh, um. I’m kind of a big fan of yours.” Kara said and Cat almost sighed in relief.

Kara Danvers being a fan, that Cat could work with. Dealing with the usual lovestruck fan was something she was accustomed to as opposed to that brief, terrorizing moment where she felt like Kara knew her intimately. Which was absurd. Right?

“Have we met before?” she felt absurd as soon as the words left her mouth. Of course they hadn’t met before, she would certainly remember her.

Kara had been in the middle of a sentence when she abruptly shut up, blue eyes widening and her lovely skin color turning a few shades paler.“Wh-what? Of course we haven’t met before, Miss Grant.” she laughed nervously, wringing her hands together. “What makes you think that?”

Maybe she was getting old or maybe she was just so tired of analyzing people looking for double motives, but she decided to let it go. It was time for a fresh start and interrogating the pretty, young owner of the place she would be staying at didn’t sound like a very good one.

“You’re right. It sounds like an absurdity.” the relief that washed over Kara’s face was painfully evident.

“I think I’ve taken away enough of your time.” the sunny smile was back at full force at least. “I really hope you enjoy your stay here, Miss Grant. If you ever need anything don’t hesitate to contact me.” Kara’s hands twitched and Cat had the sudden, terrified certainty that she was about to receive a hug. After an awkward second, Kara opted to smooth down her flannel shirt and wave nicely instead.

“See you around, Kiera.”

Kara started walking backwards maintaining eye contact the whole time as if she couldn’t get enough of Cat’s face. That is until she tripped over her own feet, stumbling dangerously, mouth forming a perfect ‘o’, arms flailing, before abruptly regaining her balance. It then only took half a second for her face to go completely crimson followed by a nervous chuckle.

“That was, phew, that was close!” she waved awkwardly one last time before practically fleeing the cabin, Cat’s chuckle ringing throughout the empty space.

 

 

°°°°°

 

The first night at Rivergold was spent in silent contemplation. After unpacking her things and ordering them neatly, Cat decided to call it a night. After calling Carter to ask him about his day and to tell him about her new temporary home, she made herself a rooibos tea and sat out on the back deck watching the sun disappear over the treetops. It was quite the view even for her city girl taste. The hot tub kept making eyes at her but she figured she’d have plenty of time to enjoy it.

She was unexpectedly filled with the sudden urge to grab her laptop and go through her e-mails before she remembered there probably weren’t any to go through. The realization making her laugh into the night as she gleefully took a sip from her CatCo mug.

 

°°°°°

She woke up the next day at the crack of dawn. Old habits die hard.

Surrendering herself to temptation, she grabbed her phone and scrolled through it, confirming her suspicions; there were only three emails sitting unread in her inbox - two of which were from her former assistant forwarding the reservation info and the other one being an invite to join some absurd new website.

Well, that meant only one thing: Coffee was her immediate priority. Getting out of bed and stretching lazily, Cat went downstairs humming happily to herself. The house was eerily silent, something that didn’t exactly bother her but was certainly an oddity - while she had debated between wakefulness and sleep a few minutes earlier, she had half expected to hear the usual city sounds; sirens, whooshing sounds, the occasional shout - sounds that suggested that there were at least a hundred people in the vicinity. But that was no longer the case and she still didn’t feel completely at ease with the idea.

As she waited for the coffee to brew, she opted to stare out through one of the windows lining the kitchen, the morning light giving everything an eerie, soft glow. Even her car looked different, parked out front since she had completely forgotten about it - she’d have to park it in the adjunct garage at some point, she made a mental note.

Cat wondered briefly if she would look different if she were to stare at a mirror in this light. Thinking back to those old times where witches were burnt at the stake - before cities existed, when people wrote they could hear the chants of the heretics coming out of the woods -, in this light she could imagine it perfectly.

She understood for the first time how people could have believed in fairies and fauns. As she looked out, transfixed - at the way the shadows danced with the changing light - she was almost disappointed that a nymph didn’t come out of the woods, calling her, beckoning her closer. Because in that moment, Cat would have followed - she would have followed that magical creature into the unknown, leaving everything she knew and -

She was startled out of her thoughts as the coffee machine beeped, signaling that her brew was ready. Shaking her head, she looked around the kitchen and, just as suddenly as it had fallen upon her, the spell was broken leaving her with a feeling she hadn’t experienced in a long time: Irrationality.

Blushing furiously at her own absurdness, she poured herself a cup of coffee almost violently because losing her sanity was definitely not part of her leave of absence plan. Looking out the window again, everything seemed perfectly average which did nothing to soothe her suddenly wounded logic. That did it for her.

Running back upstairs, she donned her favorite workout clothes determined to go out on a very enlightening walk. She was resolved to take the unknown out of this place because there was certainly nothing magical in a habitat you have explored thoroughly.

She walked out of the cabin with a purposeful walk and a mental mantra: _I’m not losing my mind. I’m not losing my mind. I_ will not _lose my mind._

 

°°°°°

It turned out to be the best idea she’d had until now.

The feeling of her muscles stretching as she did a light warm up on the steps of the front deck, made her remember why she cherished her pilates class so much. The weather was perfect for a walk - albeit a bit colder than she was used to but that wasn’t something that a light jacket couldn’t fix - everything around her coming back to life with the rising sun.

Kara had been right, she thought, as the melodic chanting of birds reached her ears. It seemed to come from all directions, but as she looked around, she wasn’t able to spot a single one.

She started walking at a gentle pace, wanting to absorb everything around her. Not wanting to get lost, she followed the delineated dirt path she had driven through the previous day to get to the cabin.

The fresh air was doing wonders for her system, making her hyper aware of the way her lungs expanded with every breath, the way her heart pumped blood through her body with every powerful contraction: She felt _alive_.

When had been the last time she had felt like this? The first time she had held Carter in her arms in the delivery room, her mind reminded her. She had felt the same exhilaration she was experiencing now; like something new was about to begin - a whole world of possibilities and new beginnings opening right in front of her eyes.

So absorbed within her own thoughts, she almost didn’t notice she had reached the crossroad that had caught her attention the previous day. Taking a pause, Cat debated for a moment if she wanted to follow it. The burning curiosity within her left no room for doubt so she resumed her walk in the direction of this other cabin.

The sound assaulted her even before she was able to make out anything between the tall trees; the clear, powerful sound of an ax being put to use. Intrigued, she kept moving until she reached her intended destination: ‘Argos’. It was much humbler than her own cabin, with only two stories, but beautifully carved nonetheless. But the appeal wasn’t in the cabin itself but in the vision happening _in front_ of the cabin.

Cat actually stopped in her tracks as if she had slammed into a wall - she felt like it too - as her feet suddenly refused to cooperate with her. Her jaw also seemed to suddenly have a life of its own as it dropped open without permission because, _oh_. Nobody. Should. Look. Like. That.

Kara freaking Danvers was chopping firewood, apparently having ditched her flannel in favor of a form-fitting tank top and tight, _tight_ jean shorts. Cat was suddenly presented with a prime view of Kara’s muscles as they rippled and flexed every time she lifted the ax and Cat was mad, because the flannel shirt Kara had worn the day before had _hinted_ that she had nice arms but it hadn’t prepared her for _this_ level of arm power.

Refusing to acknowledge the sudden weakness of her knees, - because that would be admitting that the sight before her had an effect on her, which it _clearly_ didn’t -, Cat continued watching. _For journalistic purposes_ , she told herself, as Kara obliviously continued on with her work.

Cat wasn’t even sure what she was more obsessed with, the lifting of the heavy ax or the powerful stroke against the wood. Kara made it seem so easy; so effortless in fact, that Cat couldn’t even notice a hint of perspiration on the other woman. It was breathtaking. Up until the point when Cat - who had inadvertently being taking small steps closer - tripped over a rock, alerting Kara of her presence.

Righting herself almost violently - face burning because not only had she been caught staring, she’d been caught _tripping_ over her own feet -, she tried to play it cool by walking all the way towards Kara, who was taking a sip from a water bottle, with a neutral, disinterested expression.

“Miss Grant, hi!” Kara beamed at her and Cat was suddenly hyper-aware of how close she was to those muscles.

“Kiera.” Cat nodded as a greeting, desperately trying to keep her gaze focused on Kara’s face and not on her exposed arms.

“What, um, what brings you to my cabin?”

“I was out on a morning walk and somehow ended up here.” she gestured at the cabin with a graceful flourish of her hand. “You forgot to mention that _you_ were the closest neighbor.”

“Oh, well, you never really asked.” Kara adjusted the glasses on her face in that nervous manner of hers. It would be endearing if it didn’t bring her biceps into focus. Cat had to blink twice to regain her trail of thought. “I’m really glad you came by, though. It’s always nice to see a friendly face.”

Cat was absolutely sure that never, in her entire lifetime, had she been referred to as a ‘friendly face’. “Well, I better keep going. I don’t want to distract you from your… work.” she almost said ‘muscles’.

“I’m actually done.” Kara hesitated, looking conflicted for a moment but Cat didn’t have much time to dwell on it because the blinding smile was suddenly back. “Would you, um. Would you like a cup of coffee?”

Cat was taken aback by the kind offer but the realization soon dawned on her: She really, really wanted that cup of coffee.

“I don’t see why not.”

Kara simply beamed in response, gesturing for her to follow.


	2. Beginnings Of An Enigma

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cat gets to know Kara a little better over her favorite drink.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for your amazing response to the first chapter! I love you all :)

“Please come in, Miss Grant.”

Cat stepped into Kara’s cabin feeling uncharacteristically nervous. The place was nice: It looked a lot like her own cabin - with polished wood floors, stairs, the sitting room at the far end -, but in a smaller scale and nowhere near as pompous. It immediately made her feel warm and at home, and she suddenly realized just how frivolous her own cabin was.

She rubbed the dirt from her sneakers on the doormat before following Kara through the cabin until they reached the sitting room. Here, the younger woman took a red flannel shirt that was perched on a rocking chair and gracefully threw it over the tank top she was wearing while politely gesturing for Cat to sit.

Cat would be lying if she said she wasn’t disappointed that the godlike biceps were gone, although she was definitely glad she could think properly again. Taking a seat on a comfortable leather couch, Cat stared at Kara expectantly while she finished buttoning up her shirt.

When she was done she looked up and found Cat unapologetically staring. The older woman refused to look away this time and Kara blushed prettily at the attention, adjusting her glasses shyly.

“I- I’ll be right back with the coffee. Please make yourself comfortable.” and just like that Kara was suddenly gone.

Cat smiled at the younger woman’s clear nervousness, marveling at the way Kara could switch from a confident, almost flirty woman, to a stuttering, clumsy mess in less than a minute. Looking around the room appreciatively she noticed there was an incredible amount of pictures hanging on the walls.

Teenage Kara smiled at her from the left, arms wrapped around an equally young brunette, both standing in front of a beautiful house. A little to the right was a photograph of a family at the beach, Kara once again with her arms wrapped around the same brunette, both accompanied by an older blonde woman and a nice-looking man. There were other people in some of the other ones: A tall, handsome, dark-skinned man with a broad smile pulling both Kara and the brunette into a protective embrace; a badass-looking woman with short hair, winking at the camera; and was that - Cat actually squinted to get a better look and widened her eyes in surprise - Lois Lane’s kid sister?

Cat kept looking around in a pensive manner noticing that Kara looked incredibly happy in each and every photograph. Which made her wonder what had pushed the woman to live in such a solitary place.

She didn’t have much time to dwell on it because Kara was back carrying two mugs of steaming coffee. The smell wafted over to Cat who had to suppress the urge to inhale deeply as Kara handed her one - their fingers brushing delicately - and sat on the same couch opposite her. Blue eyes suddenly began to roam appreciatively following a path down her neck, over graceful collarbones half covered by a sports jacket, slipping past her running leggings, before shooting back up to her face.  

Feeling suddenly unnerved, Cat took a sip of the brown elixir before letting out a moan of surprise, eyes fluttering close of their own accord as she practically felt her soul soar at the taste. Suddenly realizing what she had done, her eyes sprung back open to find Kara gaping at her, cheeks flushed crimson, eyes wide and dark, drink halfway to its destination.

Cat cleared her throat, trying to keep a blush of her own from creeping up her neck. She hadn’t meant to react so strongly to the drink but it was made exactly the way she liked it. Not even her former assistant had ever been able to get it this right.

“I didn’t realize my coffee order was listed on my Wikipedia page.” she commented because Kara was still staring intently at her and the room had gotten uncomfortably quiet.

“Huh?” Kara blinked twice seemingly lost in her thoughts.

“The coffee,” Cat quipped, raising an eyebrow. “it’s just how I like it.”

“Oh, right! The coffee!” the younger woman seemed to finally snap out of it, adjusting the glasses on her face. “It’s not actually. On your Wikipedia page, I mean.”

“So you’ve read it?” Cat teased, noticing the way Kara’s blush made a rampant return with great satisfaction.

“No! I-I mean yeah. Maybe, just maybe.” Kara sputtered, gesturing wildly with her hands. ”I may have read it once, or twice. Would three be too much?”

“Relax.” Cat softly laughed. “You wouldn’t be the first.”

Kara deflated into nervous laughter, taking a sip from her own mug.

“Well, if you didn’t scour the internet looking for ways to impress me how did you know?” Green eyes searched Kara’s face for answers because Cat’s alarms were going off again - that strange tug she had felt at the pit of her stomach when she first met this beautiful woman making itself known again.

“I took a guess.” Kara deflected not entirely meeting her eyes and it just made Cat’s burning curiosity grow. The woman sitting across from her was an enigma and it had been so long since she had a mystery to unravel that her journalistic instincts were practically jumping at the opportunity.

“You guessed right.” Cat conceded and took note of the way Kara’s face lighted up in response. “I’m surprised someone who practically lives in the middle of nowhere knows anything about coffee.”

“I haven’t always lived here!” Kara stated defensively, making Cat smile. Getting the mystery out of this girl was going to be as easy as she had thought. “I went to college in National City.”

 _Oh._ Cat wasn’t expecting that. So there really _was_ a plausible chance that they had met before; if it weren’t for the fact that Kara had gone to the trouble of denying it vigorously.

“If you’ve had a taste of the city life how could you end up _here_?” She didn’t mean for it to sound so harsh especially with the way Kara’s face fell as a result. “I’m-” she was about to say _sorry_ but the words got stuck in her throat. Cat Grant did not apologize to strangers.

“Things didn’t really work out.” Kara lamented, eyes turning sad and impossibly softer. “The opportunity to take over this place arose so I took it.”

Okay, maybe this wouldn’t be _that_ easy; Kara kept talking in vague sentences and seemed incredibly closed off. “Even if it meant leaving your family behind?”

Surprise washed over Kara’s features. “How did you-”

“The photographs.” Cat gestured to the offending objects lining the walls.

“Oh.” Kara pulled at the end of her flannel shirt. “Yeah. They didn’t really get it. But it was something I had to do... For my own sake.”

Cat replayed the words in her head trying to make sense of them. There was a gap in Kara’s story, a piece of the puzzle missing that prevented Cat from being able to look at the whole picture. It made her want to know _more_.

“It's hard sometimes for family to let go. I mean, if my son told me he wanted to move away to the middle of nowhere I’d certainly have my objections.” The words slipped out of Cat’s mouth without permission. She’d had no intention of bringing Carter into the conversation. “But I’d come around eventually. He _is_ my son after all, and if he’s anything like me he would have a pretty good reason.” Her words had the desired effect, making Kara smile.

“He sounds like a good kid.” Kara said, taking a sip from her coffee.

“He is.” Cat marveled, feeling love and pride bloom inside her chest.

“Where is he now?” the younger woman asked, trying to remember if kids were on summer vacation at this time of year.

“Switzerland with his father. He took Carter to a science camp there.” Cat missed him and if Kara’s kind eyes were anything to go by, it certainly showed. “I spoke to him last night and he seems to be having a good time.”

Kara hummed in agreement before staring curiously at Cat. “What about you?”

“Excuse me?”

“Why are _you_ here? Not that I’m complaining!” she quickly added when she saw Cat’s face morph into a scary glare. “I just meant that when I read you were taking a break from CatCo this was the last place I would have pictured you to be. You could have gone anywhere! Done anything!”

Kara was looking at her with so much wonder as if she still couldn’t believe that Cat Grant was in her sitting room. It made her seem even younger; like a little kid staring at Santa Claus at the mall wondering if it was possible to be able to spot him in such a mundane place.

“I suppose I could have gone away to Paris or Barcelona… stayed at a small village in Sweden or hide away in Acapulco. Like you said I could have gone anywhere.” Taking a pensive pause, she tapped her lower lip with her index finger absentmindedly. “I stayed for Carter I guess. I wanted to fall off the grid but I didn’t want to be _too_ far away. This is the perfect place to hide and I can be back in a few hours if he needs me.

“Rao, you’re amazing.” Kara said breathlessly and Cat’s heart had the actual nerve to speed up without permission. She didn’t even have time to dwell on what ‘Rao’ even meant because Kara was slowly inching closer.

Cat suddenly felt overwhelmed as her mind tried to process what the hell was happening. Kara kept getting impossibly closer and there was nothing that could stop her, no time for thinking. She licked her lips and Cat found herself staring intently at the action, noticing how soft and pink Kara’s lips looked. The younger woman kept leaning closer, closer, _closer_. Cat’s eyes fell closed as she took a sharp intake of breath, waiting for the contact that was soon to come and then-

Nothing.

Cat sprang her eyes open and found Kara leaning over her in order to retrieve the empty mug she’d been drinking from. As soon as she got a hold of it, Kara stood up and walked away with a smile, presumably to the kitchen.

Cat was left with a hammering heartbeat and a million thoughts running through her head. She had to get out of there. Standing up, she smoothed down her sports jacket and ran a hand through her hair. She almost missed the sound of footsteps approaching and startled at the sound of Kara’s voice.

“You’re leaving already?” Kara was once again standing in front of her, all warm blue eyes and soft smile. It made Cat feel strangely dizzy.

“Yes.” Cat cleared her throat when her voice came out raspy and unsteady. “I, uh, I have some stuff to do back at the cabin.”

“Of course. I’m really glad we bumped into each other, Miss Grant.”

“Cat.” She found herself saying. It was as if she had absolutely no control over the way her mouth moved. “Call me Cat.”

Kara beamed in response, her whole face lighting up. “Cat.” she murmured as if she was tasting the word in her mouth and finding it tasted like potstickers. She really, really had to get out of there.

  
“I’m glad we established that. See you around, Kara.” Cat fled. She walked away back to her cabin as fast as she could, far away from Kara and her stupid smile, her stupid blue eyes and her stupid _sexy_ biceps.


	3. The Muse & the Invitation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara & Cat's interactions (and yes I mean flirting) continue and Cat receives an unexpected invitation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to dedicate this chapter to iancientone for their birthday! 
> 
> I would also like to apologize for any mistakes since I rushed this and didn't have time to send it to my lovely beta since I wanted to have it on time for iancientone's birthday

The rest of the week went by in a blur. Cat made morning walks her new habit, making sure she went past Kara’s cabin every single day. Every single morning without fault Kara would be there in flannel chopping firewood and every single time, when she heard Cat approaching, she would stop what she was doing and throw her a charming smile followed by a cheery “Good morning, Cat!”.

Cat would wave politely every time, without much enthusiasm, only letting a pleased smile adorn her features once she was out of sight again. And if sometimes she stopped at the edge of the forest before Kara noticed her it was only to tie her loose shoelaces and certainly not to stare.

Time passed leisurely in this manner and with only a week of stay Cat achieved a state of mental wellness that she’d been unable to reach in years. Her morning walks were the highlight of her day (not that she’d ever admit it outloud) but she’d also started to include other activities to her days. She began writing little drabbles to get a feel of what she wanted her book to be about; she would sit on the back deck - laptop perched on her knees - sipping from a warm mug of tea, staring at the endless expanse of forest just thinking about… well  _ everything _ : About all the things she hadn’t had time to think about when she was a busy CEO - when even her thoughts had a schedule. Now she could just let her genius mind roam free and it was bearing fruits.

Occasionally (okay, pretty often if she was being honest), her thoughts would take an unexpected (actually very expected) turn, taking her in the direction of a certain woman she had met recently. And if sometimes her drabbles had a young, bubbly blonde as the protagonist or love interest it was only because Cat was trying to keep her options open and try a little bit of everything and not because of anything else.

She’d also taken to doing yoga during the evenings in the beautiful studio room, the one with the windows that went from floor to ceiling and allowed an unobstructed view of the sun setting over the treetops while shielding her from the pesky afternoon bugs. She’d come to discover that not everything was enchantingly fairytale-like there. Bugs - specifically blood sucking mosquitoes - liked to come out at night and prey on the innocent.

Which was exactly what Cat was doing Tuesday afternoon of her second week at Rivergold when the melodic tune of the doorbell reached her ears. Righting herself from the camel pose she’d been doing, she wiped the sweat from her forehead, brow furrowing in confusion because she wasn’t expecting anyone.  _ Hell  _ she lived in the middle of nowhere.

Curiosity filling her every pore, she walked to the front door, bare feet padding softly on the wooden floor. Taking a peek through the peephole her heart immediately sped up without permission when she recognized the woman standing outside. 

Chastising her body for its treacherous reaction she took a deep calming breath before softly opening the double doors revealing familiar blue eyes and that characteristic smile. 

“Kara, hello. What a surprise!” Cat couldn’t hide the pleased lilt of her voice and she was sure her face was doing that thing where her eyes looked soft and round - which she loathed.

Kara had been staring at her phone when Cat had opened the doors but she looked up at the sound of her name, opening her mouth to say something only for the words to die in her throat as her eyes landed on Cat. 

Kara’s lips stayed parted in the shape of whatever syllable that had been about to be uttered, while her eyes grew comically wide and only after a soft clank reached her ears did Cat notice that the younger woman had dropped her phone in apparent surprise. 

Cat twisted her neck to see if a ghoul had suddenly materialized behind her, frowning when she saw nothing out of the ordinary, before widening her own eyes as she was suddenly struck with the reason Kara was gaping at her: She was only wearing a sports bra and some very  _ very _ tight shorts. She’d completely forgotten to cover herself up to answer the door and now Kara had unlimited viewing access to most of her creamy skin.

Looking down at herself Cat realized that there were beads of sweat running down her neck and her toned abdomen, the open door had let in a cool breeze that had made her nipples harden making them visible through the thin fabric of her sports bra. 

_ Crap, Kara’s probably freaking out, _ she thought, noticing how Kara had stayed petrified, eyes glued to her petite frame with an almost burning gaze. Well, it was too late to do anything and Cat had never been self concious of her body so she wasn’t about to start  _ now. _

“You dropped your phone,” she said in a firm tone, startling the younger woman who immediately bent over to retrieve it, tearing her gaze away from Cat so quickly she was afraid she would get whiplash. 

After picking up the offending object Kara pointedly stared at her shoes trying, and failing, to hide the blush that had colored her cheeks. 

“M-Miss Grant. Hi!” she squeaked in a high pitched tone, wringing her hands together nervously. They were both aware of the sudden  _ crack _ Kara’s phone screen made as it shattered in her hands.

_ Odd _ , Cat thought. It had probably broken when it fell, although she had been almost sure it had been in one piece when Kara picked it up.

“Oh no!” Kara exclaimed looking at her now useless phone. She suddenly resembled a kicked puppy as she stared dejectedly at it and it made Cat’s heart constrict.

“That looks unfixable,” Cat said, tone laced with sarcasm because what else was she supposed to say? ‘I’m sorry?’ She mentally scoffed at the idea. It wasn’t her fault she was so hot that Kara had suddenly short-circuited. 

“Gosh, I had just gotten it fixed!” Kara pouted adorably before shaking her head, ponytail bouncing, as if she had just remembered where she was. “But that’s not why I’m here!”

Cat resisted the urge to roll her eyes opting instead to take a step back although she allowed a small smile to grace her lips. 

“Why don’t you come in?” she made a graceful gesture with her hand and Kara bit her lower lip finally meeting her gaze. 

“I don’t want to interrupt your... activities.” Kara’s eyes absentmindedly lowered again before she caught herself and they shot back up to Cat’s face, cheeks coloring for the upteenth time. Clearing her throat the younger woman shifted her weight trying to appear unfazed but ending up looking like she had to pee. 

Cat finally took pity on her and grabbed a navy blue CatCo sweatshirt that was hanging on the coat rack by the door, putting it on with a graceful move. “You’re not interrupting anything, Kara. Now would you please come in?”

Kara nodded and stepped inside the cabin still looking a bit flustered. Cat led the way to the sitting room and gestured for Kara to sit. 

“Would you like anything to drink?” 

“I’m okay. I’ll be quick,” Kara said, sitting down in one of the ostensible couches. “I have an errand to run but I wanted to come by first.”

Cat tried not to feel disappointed that Kara couldn’t stay and chat, opting instead to sit and raise a curious eyebrow at her.

“I, uh,” Kara rubbed her neck bashfully looking adorably shy before steeling herself and meeting Cat’s gaze head on. “This is the first year under my ownership that all of Rivergold’s cabins are booked so I’m organizing a bonfire for all the guests on Friday night  at the picnic area near the lake. I know you said you were here to get away from everything but I’d love it you came.”

“Oh,” Cat exclaimed without much enthusiasm. Kara was right, the last thing she wanted at the moment was to attend a social gathering. As much as she liked the young owner she wasn’t sure she liked her  _ that _ much. Yet. “It’s really nice for you to be organizing this and I appreciate you inviting me but I’m not sure I’m really up for it.”

“Right.” Kara quickly looked around before abruptly standing up, trying to hide her reaction but it was too late already: Cat had been perfectly aware of the way Kara’s smile had fallen and how her eyes had adopted a kicked puppy quality. 

Cat stood up as well trying to get Kara to look her in the eye but her blue eyes seemed to be glued to the floor. “It’s not personal, Kara,” she tried to sound reassuring but ended sounding like Cat Grant: unapologetic CEO.

“Miss Grant you don’t have to explain anything, I understand perfectly.” Kara seemed to have composed herself and met her gaze head on. “Really, it’s fine. Have a great day.”

Before Cat could reply Kara had made her swift exit leaving her alone in the sitting room. 

“Rude,” she mumbled under breath before walking back to the studio to finish her yoga. 

  
  


°°°°°

 

Cat did not feel guilty. At all.

That swirling sensation in her gut was just the result of something bad she had eaten. Yes, that red apple she snacked on earlier definitely had a weird taste. It certainly had nothing to do with a certain blonde and a certain refusal to attend a small event. She was probably just being poisoned like Snow White. 

Cat huffed and deleted the whole first and only paragraph of her current drabble for the millionth time. She had been having a hard time concentrating today which completely threw her off since she had been on fire the last couple of days. Words had never failed her; they were the only constant in her life. Throughout all of her existence the only thing she had come to trust and get to know completely were words. They had granted her fame and fortune, and she had always been proud of being able to make a living out of the deep knowledge she had of the English language. 

Now they were failing her or rather, she was failing  _ them. _ All because her thoughts kept wandering back those same wounded blue eyes. Kara had been her source of inspiration this whole week, her muse if you may. But it seemed that as easily as Kara had been able to guide Cat’s thoughts into the depths of creativity, it was equally as easy for her to block the access to it. 

_ Damn this girl,  _ Cat thought, slamming the backspace key more forcefully than necessary: Her mind was blank, her morning walk hadn’t been as satisfactory as it usually was and she had run out of her favorite bagels. 

She slammed her laptop shut. This was definitely not working. Guilt kept eating at her and it wouldn't let her focus. She rubbed her eyes tiredly, her glasses adopting a crooked position. There had to be something she could do to get back in the flow. She snorted at her own choice of words. Oh, if only Lois could see her now. 

Shuffling back inside the cabin Cat decided to take a relaxing bubble bath to try to clear her head. As soon as the water was ready she stripped, shivering a little when her body lost its usual protection. 

After placing a foot inside the water to test the temperature and deciding it was perfect she slowly slid the rest of her body in, letting out a pleased moan when her naked body was engulfed in warmth. 

She stared at the ceiling for while, just enjoying the feeling. Letting her mind go blank had been of the hardest struggles when she was a CEO but it seemed to come easy to her now. Once her mind and body were completely relaxed, she started to turn her current predicament around in her head.

It was almost embarrassing how good this place had been to her mental health. She was currently living in something resembling a permanent post-orgasmic haze. She wouldn’t be surprised if one day she looked down and found out she was floating inches from the ground. 

Which is why this whole ordeal with Kara needed to be resolved: It was killing her relaxing mood and that was unacceptable.   


Heaving out a long sigh, she sunk deeper into the water, eyes softly closing before springing back open as she was suddenly struck with an idea. She sat up, gripping the edge of the bathtub tightly. This whole mess had started because she wasn’t sure if she had imagined Kara’s wounded expression or not; she was loathe to admit it but not knowing if she had hurt the feelings of the woman who had been so kind to her during her stay was making her very uncomfortable. 

She had always been painfully in tune with people’s feelings. It’s what made her a great reporter, and astounding CEO and an even better mother. It was sometimes unbearable but it was easy to drown it all out when she was exhausted and uber busy all the time but here… here she had absolutely nothing else to think about. Damn it, she was soft-hearted and she hated it most of the time. 

Which meant there was only one solution to this whole Kara thing: She had to visit her and make sure she was all right. Once she saw her unbreakable smile again she could feel sure she had in no way hurt her feelings and move on with her life. Hopefully, she’d also go back to her creative dimension. 

Yes, that was exactly what she would do. She sunk back into the warm water with a contented hum. All she needed was the perfect excuse.

 

°°°°°

 

That perfect excuse materialized in the form of homemade chocolate chip cookies. Cat stared proudly at the batch of cookies cooling on her kitchen counter. They had been made with her secret family recipe which meant they were deadly: Kara had no idea what was coming to her. 

As soon as they finished cooling Cat arranged a pretty basket to deliver them in. After wiping her hands on the front of her blue apron she proceeded to tie a pretty golden ribbon with an elegant knot on the basket. Looking at her creation with satisfaction she decided that the last step in her plan was her own presentation. 

She quickly ran upstairs and changed into jeans and a soft sweater. Up until now Kara had only ever seen her wearing sports clothing so this would definitely be a nice change. Not that she cared, this was all part of her plan.

Feeling fairly optimistic she walked the short distance to Kara’s cabin carrying the cookie basket delicately in her hands. As she reached the edge of the front porch she slowed down before stopping at the bottom of the short front steps. Running a hand through her hair she tried to convinced herself that she didn’t feel unnerved at all before going up the steps and knocking the door with four strong, firm knocks. 

Cat waited expectantly, transferring the basket from her right hand to her left. She looked down at herself to make sure that her sweater wasn’t covered in leaves or dirt, and she ran a delicate finger through the bottom of her lip to wipe away a nonexistent lipstick stain. 

Once she realized what she was doing she stopped immediately. She looked fine. Besides, what did she care if Kara saw her with a rumpled sweater or smeared lipstick? She didn’t. Obviously.

The door opened to reveal Kara in a flannel shirt folded at the elbows and paint splattered jeans. As soon as she registered it was Cat standing at her porch her face lighted up into a brilliant smile, bringing immediate attention to the green paint smeared across her cheek. 

“Cat! Hi, what a surprise!” she exclaimed, repeating the same greeting Cat had uttered when she herself had visited.

“Yes, well, I’m full of those,” Cat practically purred with an almost predatory smile. “I’m like a Pandora box.”

Kara swallowed thickly, nodding her head vigorously in response. “I-I don’t doubt it.” 

Cat marveled for a second at the way the sunlight filtering through the leaves made Kara’s eyes look impossibly blue. It was almost unfair. This strange green light made her own eyes look muddier than usual but it gave Kara’s an almost ethereal quality. She suddenly wondered what Kara would look like under the bright, invigorating California sun. She briefly let herself wonder what kind of tan the younger woman would develop, picturing beautiful, smooth, sun-kissed skin before forcing her mind back to reality.

“I brought you something,” Cat said offering up the basket in an almost innocent gesture.

Kara’s smile got impossibly bigger as she accepted the gift, eyes widening as she realized what was in it.

“I realized I baked a little too many this morning and figured I could share,” Cat claimed with a small smile. This of course, was a complete lie; she had definitely baked the cookies exclusively for Kara but she wasn’t about to admit it out loud.

“Cat, you shouldn’t have.” Kara leaned down and smelled the basket letting out a pleased sigh. “They look delicious.”

_ Oh they are _ , Cat thought. 

“They’re okay. I hope you like them.” She took a step back as if she was planning to leave. Kara noticed and her face adopted a panicked look.

“Wait, aren’t you staying for coffee?” 

Cat suppressed a smile and moved in for the kill. She took brief, determined steps, closing the distance between them. Kara parted her lips to say something but stayed completely frozen when Cat lifted her hand to delicately cup her cheek.

Kara’s eyes had become round and wide as Cat delicately brushed away the paint on her suddenly reddening cheek with her thumb. She seemed to have stopped breathing entirely, and she couldn’t control the way her eyes tried to flutter shut on their own. Cat’s hand felt like it was on fire as she completed the task and she was suddenly slammed with the certainty that Kara loved this gesture. She wasn’t sure how she knew it but she did, just like she somehow suddenly knew that in order to help Kara calm down all she had to do was let her lay her head on her stomach and run her hands through her hair with strong, firm movements. 

Cat let her hand drop as Kara stared at her in something resembling shock. 

“I’m afraid I can’t stay. I promised Carter we would videochat before he went to sleep, you know how it is with the timezone difference.” Smiling, Cat took a step back and smiled at a gaping Kara. “Besides, I can see that you’re busy.” She brushed her own cheek with her index finger making allusion to the paint that had been on Kara’s cheek before turning around and strutting away, hips swaying in a way that was entirely natural. 

Once she was out of sight from the cabin, she let a devilish smile grace her features.  _ Mission accomplished _ .

 

°°°°°

 

“Hey, sweetheart.”

“Hi, mom.”

Cat smiled fondly at her son’s face as it was displayed on her screen. 

“How was your day?”

Carter’s face lighted up in excitement. “It was amazing! We built fighting robots at camp today and mine won the mini tournament.”

“That’s great sweetheart. I’m really proud of you.” And she really was. Cat felt a streak of pride bloom deep within her chest at her sweet, shy, smart boy. “What have I always told you?”

“That nerds can still win in the end.” He smiled fondly at her through the screen. “What about you mom? Anything new?”

“Not really. My days are pretty much all the same.”

“Morning walk, writing spree, afternoon yoga… You really haven’t done anything else? Haven’t you met anyone cool?”   


“I didn’t come here to socialize, I came here to rest,” she said matter of factly. It’s the line she had been feeding him and herself during her stay.

“I didn’t think you would find the hermit life relaxing,” Carter snickered and Cat threw him a mock glare.

“I am not living as a hermit, Carter.” She sounded defensive and she knew it. Her son knew her too well to be able to deflect his incredible perceptiveness. “I do have friends, I’ll let you know.”

“Really?” Carter’s eyes widened and he leaned towards the camera, clearly interested.

“Well… just one friend. Her name is Kara.” Cat felt she was being cornered by her own son.

“How did you meet her?”

“She’s the owner of the retreat. I met her the first day and later found out she lives in the cabin that is closest to mine.” 

Carter frowned, clearly dissatisfied with her answer. “That doesn’t count. I mean, she’s the owner. You  _ had _ to meet her anyway. I meant an  _ actual  _ friend.”

“She  _ is _ my friend, Carter,” she muttered through clenched teeth.

“How so?” Carter probed.

“Well, we’ve had coffee a few times and this morning I gave her a basket of chocolate chip cookies as a gift.”

“The secret recipe?” He whispered into the camera, looking around as if looking for secret spies around the room.

“Yes,” Cat admitted proudly. It felt good to make her son see she wasn’t a total failure. “And, she also invited me to a bonfire that she’s organizing on Friday.” Cat knew it had been a bad idea to bring up the bonfire when Carter’s face lighted up in excitement.

“A bonfire, cool! Are you roasting marshmallows?” 

Cat kept her face as neutral as possible. “Well, actually, darling, I’m not really planning to go.”

“What? Why?! I thought Kara was your friend.”

“She is! I just… have some very important things to do,” Cat tried to channel her uber busy CEO attitude but he saw right through it.

“You literally have nothing to do,” Carter pointed out with a serious expression. 

“Watch the tone, young man.” She knew she was being unreasonable but she was running out of excuses. Why did her son have to be so darn good at reading her? (It was his flawless genetic inheritance, but still). 

“Mom, all I’m saying is that you always do the thing.”

Cat narrowed her eyes at her son. “What thing?”

“That thing where you push people away and lock yourself in your inner world. I do the same thing thing and you always tell me that taking time for myself is healthy but that it’s also important to try and make human connections once in awhile. Isn’t that what you always tell me?” He looked defiantly at her, daring her to lie.

Cat gritted her teeth in response because he was right, although she didn’t appreciate her wise words being thrown back at her one bit. “Yes, I’ve said that before but this is different.”

“How is it different?” He challenged. They stared at each other through their screens for a moment before Carter changed tactics and softened his face. “I just care about you, mom. I know how lonely you can get, and I also know you’ll never admit it and ask for help. I’m just so far away right now, and it bothers me that you have no one in that forsaken place.”

Cat stared disbelievingly at her teenage son. He was actually doing it: He was emotionally blackmailing her. She stared for a second at the well rehearsed puppy expression on his face and was suddenly torn between pride and weariness. 

“Will it make you feel better if I go to this thing?” she mumbled in defeat.

“Infinitely better.” Carter was beaming again and Cat felt a rush of affectionate annoyance at him.

“Fine, I’ll go.” Cat didn’t like to admit defeat but she also knew she would do anything for her son and apparently Carter had caught onto that as well. 

“That’s great, mom! I expect a lot of pictures, okay?” He suddenly looked behind him, tilting his head to listen to something in the distance. After a moment he turned back to her with a sad smile. “That was dad, I have to go.”

Cat felt a flash of resentment against her ex-husband for interrupting her talk with Carter but she kept her face impassive.

“Okay, sweetheart. Goodnight, say hi to your dad for me.”

“I will, mom. Goodnight, I love you.” He waved once before disconnecting, leaving Cat feeling the loneliest she had felt since she had arrived at Rivergold. 

She closed her laptop and put it on the bedside table, flopping down onto the bed with a groan. Apparently she now had plans on Friday night. She considered swinging by Kara’s cabin to let her know she would be attending after all but decided against it after a moment’s hesitation. She was Cat Grant so a surprise appearance would be perfect.  
She stared at the ceiling of her bedroom for a while, trying really hard to push down the sudden eager thoughts of a whole afternoon spent with Kara.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up: the magical evening at the bonfire which is written halfway. I just really wanted to give an update for iancientone :)


	4. One Night In July

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The night of the bonfire arrives and a nervous Cat attends the event.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What can I even say after all this time? Hello? What's up? Is anybody still here? Anyway I finally got around to getting this chapter ready. I would love nothing more than to promise this will never happen again and that I will have a fixed posting schedule but that would be lying. 
> 
> Thanks to everyone who has ever commented and left kudos, I hope you like this chapter!

On Friday evening, Cat was on the back deck sipping from a glass of bourbon, watching as the sun disappeared beneath the treetops. Hair cascading softly around her face, makeup done flawlessly, she absentmindedly watched as the fading sun gave everything a dark contrast.

She wouldn’t say she was nervous about the evening ahead, although the way her foot kept constantly tapping the wooden floors beneath her betrayed her true feelings. There was a strange exhilaration that made her chest feel like it was expanding to unnatural proportions with every breath she took.

Carter had texted her earlier in the day before going to sleep, ‘Remember you have plans for tonight, mom. Try to have fun, and say hi to ‘Kara’ for me’, it read, and it had made Cat smile fondly at her phone. Something she had vowed never to do again after she had been caught doing the exact same thing by a paparazzi, many years ago, unleashing a mediatic storm determined to find out who her latest conquest was. It had been a complete nightmare.

Looking down at her watch, she sighed softly: It was time. She downed the remaining bourbon in one big gulp, wincing a little at the burning sensation. Since Kara was practically a girl scout, there were several doubts in Cat’s mind as to whether there would be alcohol at the event. She prefered not to take the risk - God knows she needed the liquid courage.She still wasn’t entirely sure why she had agreed to go to the bonfire - to please Carter of course but that hadn’t been the sole reason - and she was definitely not ready to go into the sort of deep introspection that the matter required. Climbing into her Escalade, she took a last longing glance back at her safe, isolated cabin before revving up the engine and leaving her sanctuary.

  
Getting to the lake was an easy feat, the journey being facilitated by the perfectly delineated dirt roads and the bright blue signs. It took less than twenty minutes for Cat to be backing into a comfortable parking space and walking to a big black board that instructed her she had to walk the rest way through a path going down the forest. There were already several other cars parked which did absolutely nothing to alleviate the sudden nerves fluttering in her stomach as she took a deep, calming breath. Smoothing down her navy blue dress, she started the journey with light steps, feeling immediately calmer as the woods surrounded her and she was engulfed in a sea of green, grass tickling her exposed ankles.

No sound rang out through the seemingly empty space, giving everything an almost mystic atmosphere as Cat slowly made her way through the thinning forest. The sound of her footsteps was the only thing disturbing the almost monasteric stillness, and she suddenly wondered if she had taken a wrong turn somewhere and was being unsuspectedly swallowed by the enchanted, interminable forest she had read about in a fable as a kid, only to never be seen again.

  
Before she could dwell on it any more, the lake appeared as if by magic: A majestic flat disc of crystal clear water was suddenly presented to her. It was still and restful, unruffled by wind, and Cat’s senses were suddenly assaulted as she caught a whiff of the pine trees surrounding it, coupled with the unmistakable smell of wet dirt. The only sounds present were her own footsteps and the bumbling of insects flitting around her, giving everything a calm peaceful atmosphere. The setting sun gave the water a golden tint, and the sight was so glorious that she had to take a moment to drink everything in.

  
The first thought that popped into her mind was that Carter would have absolutely loved this place. The second was that she loved it. It faintly reminded her of the family lakehouse her father used to take her to every summer: The gentle breeze brought back sudden memories of roasted marshmallows, early morning fishing trips, wooden swings, and beautiful sunsets in the company of her favorite person. Her father had had a real gift for playing the guitar and they had spent innumerable evenings chanting beautiful ballads into the fading daylight.

  
Deeply absorbed in her thoughts and the sight before her, Cat missed the light steps that approached until they were directly behind her. Suddenly aware of the warm presence at her back, she was yanked out of her head into the present moment. Before she could freak out, a calm, melodic voice rang throughout the eerie silence putting her immediately at ease.

“So, what do you think?”

The corners of Cat’s mouth turned up in a soft, graceful smile as she turned around to greet the warm blue eyes belonging to the woman who had been plaguing her thoughts as of late.

“Not bad,” she downplayed but Kara seemed to sense her true reaction by the way her smile lighted up her whole face.

“I thought you said you weren’t coming,” Kara playfully admonished before her eyes lowered, taking in Cat’s appearance. A look of sincere appreciation crossed her features, making Cat feel like the weather had suddenly warmed up several degrees.

“I changed my mind.”

Kara looked pretty good herself, Cat had to admit. For the first time since the former CEO had known her, she wasn’t wearing flannel. Instead, she was clad in a gray button-down shirt that clung attractively to her biceps along with black pants and brown oxford shoes. All that was missing was the tie and Cat had to shove the image out of her mind before it wandered off to other places.

“I’m glad you did.”

They shared a smile for a moment before Kara cleared her throat and looked away, cheeks coloring treacherously at the admission.

“So where is this bonfire?” Cat asked, looking around to try to find the huge fireball that was surely blazing somewhere nearby. She was half-expecting a mob to be dancing around it in circles, chanting in a lively chorus.

“It’s actually more of a colloquial term. I admit I used it a little bit too freely to be able to convince people to attend.” At Cat’s disappointed expression she quickly added, “But there will be a fire. I just haven’t lighted it yet.”

“Then by all means, don’t let me keep you,” Cat said with a dismissive flourish of her hand.

“In a minute, I want to show you around first.”

This had been a test, and Kara had passed it with flying colors. Cat threw the younger woman a pleased smile but was in reality feeling a little uneasy. It was almost like Kara knew she was being tested, that it was what Cat did. Pushing her paranoia aside for a moment, Cat accepted the arm that was presented to her, wrapping her thin, delicate hands around the bulky bicep as she let Kara lead the way.

  
“The main event will be held at the wooden gazebo but there will be other entertainments as well.”

“You mean like a muscular man in very little clothing juggling hula hoops on fire?” Cat was enjoying herself, Kara warm and solid at her side. They were going at a slow pace, neither in a rush to get to to their destination as the sun sunk lower in the horizon, making the lake at their right glow.

“You would like that, wouldn’t you?” Kara teased back, blue eyes glinting as she looked down at Cat.

“Hmm...” the older woman murmured pensively. “Not really.”

Kara raised her eyebrows in faux surprise. “Oh?”

“From an artistic standpoint,” Cat said as seriously as she could, which was proving to be a challenge, “I believe a woman would look more graceful doing those kind of stunts.”

“So you’re saying I should hire a woman to juggle hula hoops on fire?” Kara also seemed to be having trouble keeping a serious tone.

“No, no,” Cat shook her head, “I’m just saying that aesthetically speaking, if you want your show to be taken seriously you should hire a graceful woman as opposed to a bulky man... chunk.”

“Bulky man-chunk?” Kara couldn’t contain her chuckle this time.

“Not my finest use of the English language I’ll admit.”

There was a moment of comfortable silence in which they continued walking, each reveling in the presence of the other.

“I bet I could do it,” Kara confidently declared.

Cat looked up in surprise, clearly not expecting the turn the conversation had taken, marveling at the way Kara’s eyes seemed to burn with determination.

“Do what exactly?” she asked, unable to take the younger woman seriously.

“Gracefully juggle hula hoops on fire.”

“You would like that, wouldn’t you?” Cat mocked Kara’s earlier words, rolling her eyes.

“I mean it,” Kara seemed determined to make Cat take her seriously, which made the older woman suddenly fear she would actually do it. “I bet I could do a great job.”

“I bet that would throw the critics off on a loop,” she said, suddenly noticing they were approaching a building that looked a little too much like the wooden gazebo she had in the backyard of her home in National City but in much bigger proportions. It seemed like it could hold about a hundred people.

“Mock me all you want, but I would definitely do a better job than you.” That got Cat’s attention as she whirled around back to Kara, who was sporting a playful grin.

“All right, Miss Kara Sassvers, let’s assume you actually agree to do it. What makes you so sure you wouldn’t catch on fire the second you light up the first hula hoop?” If Kara wanted Cat’s undivided attention she had just gotten it. “The people who do this kind of stunts train for a long time, probably months even before they start lighting things on fire. It takes precision, ability and great reflexes. What makes you think you can just do it?”

“You’ve never even seen me juggle.” Kara seemed to be enjoying the banter, which sparked a wave of irritation in Cat.

“Oh, but I’ve seen what you do, Kara Danvers. Every morning for the past two weeks I have watched you with an ax, delivering lethal blows and let me tell you,” Cat exclaimed while letting go of Kara’s arm and waving her hands expressively, “that is pure muscle power. You may be able to effortlessly shatter thick logs but juggling requires precision.”

“Ah, I get it now.” Kara was smiling again. “I’m too bulky for you, is that it?”

“That’s not-” Cat had walked right into that one. She tried to think of something clever to say but her mind was blank, and when had Kara gotten so close? If she leaned in just a bit their chests would brush, and, wow, Kara smelled amazing.

“You’re saying my muscles are too big for me to juggle with precision?”

“I-I just-” She was honest to God stuttering. She couldn’t believe she had just admitted that she watched Kara during her early morning walks. If she could only wipe the playful grin off of the younger woman’s face...

Gritting her teeth she took a step back, trying to get away and clear her head but her foot collided with a stone and she stumbled backwards, arms dramatically flailing. Well, this is embarrassing, she thought as the ground approached at an alarming velocity. Closing her eyes, she braced herself for the impact of the cold, hard dirt but it never came.  
Instead, she found herself pressed up into a warm body and surrounded by strong arms. It took her adrenaline-addled brain a moment to realize Kara had dived after her and that she was now squished against her chest. As soon as her predicament registered she felt a mortified blush travel up her neck.

“Rao, are you okay?!” Kara asked, reflexively tightening her grip with astounding strength and squeezing the air out of Cat’s lungs for a moment before relaxing almost immediately.

Cat tried to answer but her face was smooshed against something round and soft which she absolutely refused to identify. She tried looking up but all she managed to do was bump her nose against one of Kara’s collarbones. The younger woman smelled amazing and Cat took a moment to memorize the scent - traces of the lumber she chopped every day mixed with something inherently her. It was mouthwatering.

“Mhmph,” she murmured and Kara immediately took a step back keeping her hands on Cat’s shoulders.

“I swear to God if you messed up my hair,” Cat grumbled as she pretended to survey the damage, trying to hide the fact that she was mortified.

“You look great as always,” Kara said with a gentle smile and Cat felt a pang of remorse at not having thanked her for the save.

“I better do, for your sake,” she said rolling her eyes. “Now, where were we?”

“I was showing you around before you tried to faceplant.” In response to Cat’s angry stare, Kara affectionately squeezed her shoulders. “I’m kidding. Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine.” Cat took a step back, feeling tingles go down her arms as Kara’s gentle touch disappeared. Worried blue eyes followed her every move as she brushed off imaginary dirt from her dress and ran a hand through her hair. “I just need a drink.”

Kara’s face went back to it’s usual light-hearted expression as she offered her right hand for Cat to take. “That can be arranged.”

Cat hesitated for a small moment before she took Kara’s proffered hand in hers, marveling at its softness in spite of the younger woman’s daily tough work. She’d been half-expecting it to be coarse and rough but was pleasantly surprised. They made their way hand-in-hand to the building Cat had noticed earlier, falling into comfortable silence as the last portion of the sun bid its farewell as it sunk beneath the horizon. She had thought it was a gazebo at first but, as they got closer, realized it was more of a cabin. She could see people milling around inside, soft shadows contrasting against the yellow glow of artificial light, and she could hear the murmur of their voices, accompanied by the soft sounds of music.

As they went up the front steps to the entrance, Kara paused and turned to look to look at her. Their eyes met for a brief moment, and Cat was surprised to find a knowing look coloring Kara’s features.

“I know this is probably not your scene,” Kara said uncharacteristically serious, “but please try to try have fun. There are some really interesting people I think you would like, and nobody will breathe a word that you’re here. You’re not the only one trying to stay away from the limelight.”

Cat was too surprised to do anything but nod as Kara squeezed her hand one last time before letting it go and pushing the door open. Immediately after, the sounds they had heard from the outside intensified and Cat found herself staring at a beautiful open space: The only illumination present in the room were a series of rows of Christmas lights crisscrossing all through the ceiling, giving everything a very romantic dim glow like the expensive restaurants back in National City Cat used to frequent. There was also a bar at the left with a pretty barista serving drinks to the people milling about and Cat could see snack tables strategically positioned adorned with white tablecloths and blazing candles. Soft upbeat music could be heard from whatever place the speakers were in. It was all incredibly tasteful.

Kara closed the door behind them and motioned for Cat to walk a few steps further into the room. There were perhaps about 30 people in the room, all dressed in various states of elegance, sporting drinks and laughing amiably. Cat was surprised to find out she didn’t know anyone in the room which lifted a huge weight off her chest she hadn’t realized she’d been carrying.

She looked up to find Kara smiling gently at her and her lips automatically lifted up to match hers as they both walked further into the room. Everyone immediately greeted Kara which came as no surprise to Cat who was sure the woman was sunshine personified.

What really threw her off was the way Kara introduced her to everyone, never letting go of her arm, as if she were showing her off or parading her in some way. If Cat would let her mind wander off into inappropriate places, she might even think that Kara was marking her territory which would be ridiculous. The way Kara’s grip tightened every time someone made a pass at her was surely mere coincidence, right?

As the night progressed, Cat started to relax and actually enjoy herself. Kara seemed to be glued to her side, never wandering off more than a few feet at time, and while normally Cat would find that annoying, this time it practically made her the center of attention. People were drawn to Kara in a way that was fascinating to watch, and they both found themselves always surrounded by amiable faces and even more interesting conversations.

Time flew by leisurely in this manner and after more than a few drinks, Cat was finally left alone as Kara reluctantly extricated herself for a trip to the bathroom, promising to be back in no time. Cat watched her go for a second before she caught herself, the alcohol making her feel warm and light. She excused herself from the conversation and walked to the bar to order yet another drink. She could already feel her walls slipping away but she wasn’t anywhere near National City, she was having such a good time, nobody seemed interested in sharing gossip about her, nor had they any power to do so, and hell she was on a well-deserved break. She might as well have another drink.  
The bartender smiled at her from behind the counter. Cat had learned her name was M’gann after Kara had greeted her enthusiastically and introduced them both.

“Can I get you anything, Miss Grant?” M’gann asked and Cat had to blink a few times when she began seeing two of the woman.

“Yes, I’ll have another one of those… oh, whatever that pink drink was.” She waved her right hand expressively before swaying a little. Leaning heavily on the counter, she tried to blink away the sudden dizziness that washed over her. “I, uh-”

Suddenly the lights were too bright, the voices around her seemed deafening, and she felt a weird constricting pressure on her chest. “I need some air,” she wheezed out, ignoring the concerned look that M’gann threw her and stumbling towards the exit.

Once she was outside she took deep, steadying breaths as she leaned over her knees. She felt dangerously close to being sick, so she stumbled down the front steps before walking down to the edge of the lake. Plopping down heavily on the dirt, she stared at the shining black water having the sudden urge to splash some on her face. Since it would definitely ruin her makeup she decided not to, she wasn’t that far gone yet.

The night was cool and quiet, a gentle breeze blowing the curls out of her face. It was exactly what she needed, and she took another deep breath, feeling her mind clear a little. The ground beneath her was cold, and it only took a few moments for her skin to break out into goosebumps. The swishing sound of a small current of water caught her attention and she looked up to find a deer a few paces away, drinking from the lake.

Cat blinked a few times, sure she was hallucinating but the image remained. It took her a few seconds to realize she wasn’t in National City and it was perfectly plausible to see such a creature. She held her breath, not wanting to startle it away as she watched the animal in fascination.

It was a fully grown deer, with light brown fur and majestic antlers. Its black eyes glinted in the moonlight as it bowed its graceful neck to drink. It didn’t seem to have noticed Cat who was a few paces away, or if it did the animal didn’t seem to be scared of her.

Incorporating slowly unto her knees, Cat rummaged through her purse as quietly as she could looking for her phone. She had to take a picture, Carter would love it. Her phone seemed to be escaping her grasp though and, as she let out a huff of frustration, the deer looked up in alarm.

Cat froze, holding her breath as their eyes met. The deer was also frozen in place, watching her with surprisingly intelligent eyes as they both assessed each other. Her heart was pounding, and she tried really hard not to make any other sound. She really wanted a picture. The deer stared at her for a second longer before seemingly relaxing it’s posture, deeming her a non-threat. It resumed drinking water and she let out a sigh of relief.

Getting to her feet as quietly as she could, she stared at the deer for a second before taking a tentative step forward. The animal’s attention quickly snapped towards her again but it seemed calm. She stretched out a hand slowly, giving the creature enough time to process what was happening. Instead of running away it just kept its gaze firmly fixed on her, as if daring her to do it. To touch it. Cat took another step forward, breathing heavily. This seemed like a pivotal moment to her, there was something about the creature that drew her in. Whether it was the moonlight, or the alcohol, or the way its black eyes kept speaking to her she would never know because as soon as she was close enough, just about to graze the animal’s soft fur a voice rang out.

“Cat, is that you?”

The deer startled and immediately bolted, leaving Cat with an outstretched hand and an empty heart. She looked back to the source of the sound and found Kara jogging in her direction, looking exceptionally sober even though she’d had the same amount of drinks as her, perhaps even more.

“Hey,” Kara mumbled as she reached her, stopping and smiling at her. “What are you doing out here?”

“I needed some air,” Cat responded absentmindedly as she looked at the barrier of trees the deer had disappeared into.

“Are you okay?” Kara asked, furrowing her brow in confusion as she followed her line of sight.

“Didn’t you see it?” Cat asked, suddenly feeling annoyed at Kara’s interruption.

“See what?” Kara seemed genuinely confused, which just made Cat wonder whether she had indeed hallucinated the whole thing.

“Nevermind. What are you doing here?” she snapped.

“I came out of the bathroom and you were gone. I asked around and M’gann said you had fled looking upset, so I came looking for you.”

Cat suddenly felt bad for snapping at her. Kara had clearly been concerned and had come out looking for her. How many people had ever done that in her entire lifetime? Not even her own mother had ever shown this level of care.

“I’m sorry,” she breathed out, feeling her eyes suddenly sting.

“Hey, there’s nothing to be sorry about.”

Warmth suddenly engulfed her shoulders and she realized Kara had placed her hands on them. Impossibly gentle blue eyes tried to meet her gaze but Cat avoided them looking at the floor instead. Her thoughts were a jumbled mess, and for some reason she suddenly felt emotional. She missed Carter. She always missed him when he was away but this gut-wrenching pain took her by surprise and she had to blink tears away before they started falling. She didn’t want Kara to look at her like that.

“Do you want to get back to the party?” Kara gently asked.

Cat shook her head no and Kara nodded as if expecting the answer.

“There’s something I’d like to show you.” Kara gently squeezed her shoulders before offering her right hand.

Cat looked at it for a second before taking a deep, shuddering breath and accepting it. Kara gently led her around the lake in silence, her warm hand feeling oddly comforting. Neither spoke a word for which Cat was grateful. She was still more than a little drunk and trying to order her thoughts in order to follow an actual conversation seemed momentarily out of her reach.

After stumbling a couple of times in her high heels, she took them off with a feral growl, using Kara’s arm as support. Once freed from them, she kept walking, finding the cold, hard ground strangely sobering as the offending objects dangled from her left hand.

Kara led Cat to what seemed like a small, wooden pier. Cat could make out its dark silhouette against the pale moonlight. It took a few more minutes to get close enough for her to able to distinguish the small boat docked there: It was a simple, wooden rowing boat.

Right before they walked onto the pier, Kara stopped and turned to look at her. Her eyes looked incredibly soft and seemed to be filled with an unexplained intensity. “Do you trust me?” Kara breathed, softly brushing a strand of hair out of Cat’s face.

Cat, in turn, seemed momentarily frozen. Her jumbled mind kept trying to make sense of everything. Kara was a wonderful mystery to her, and no matter how hard she tried, she was still unable to figure out what all their interactions meant. In her current state, she was even more unable to decipher exactly what the look on Kara’s face meant. The only thing she was truly sure of at that moment was -

“Yes, I trust you.”

A thousand-watt smile and, again, that warm hand was offered to her. Cat accepted it without hesitation and was gently guided down into the boat. As her feet touched the wooden floor, the boat suddenly rocked dangerously. Cat was briefly aware that she was losing her balance and that she was about to tip over into the lake. Before any of that could happen, there was Kara again, steadying her, grounding her, making her feel safe, blue eyes looking into her very soul.

“Careful there, Miss Grant.”

“Cat,” she found herself saying, as she sat on the boat and Kara boarded after her. “Call me Cat. I’m not your boss.”

Kara stiffened suddenly, and Cat had the sudden feeling that she had said something wrong. Before she could ask about it, Kara had relaxed again and was starting to row the boat away from the shore. They sat, silently staring at each other as they smoothly made their way into the center of the lake, the gentle splashing of water the only sound between them.

Cat closed her eyes and took a deep breath of the clean, crisp air, feeling her mind clear with each passing minute. When she opened her eyes again, she was met with Kara’s gentle smile as she rowed the boat, arms flexing powerfully. She returned the smile before looking around at their surroundings.

Everything was dark except for the star-filled sky. Out in the distance, and growing smaller with each passing second, she could make out the light of the cabin where the party was taking place. She saw unusual movement and squinted her eyes trying to see what was happening. People were filling out of the cabin. Is the party over? she thought, but they weren’t leaving. They simply walked closer to the edge of the lake and stood there huddled together in small groups.

“Are they staring at us?” Cat asked because she was suddenly very aware of the fact that she was drunk on a small boat with the charming, yet very young owner of the place she was currently staying at - talk about hospitality.

Kara smiled, as if she could read her thoughts before simply saying. “Look up.”

As soon as she did, the sky exploded with blinding light and a thunderous sound. Cat threw her hands up with a cry, her drunken mind trying to make sense of what was happening. Her jumbled thoughts included the utter certainty that they were being attacked by some giant firefly that was going to eat them alive. After a second, her scattered mind realized what the blinding light actually was: Fireworks.

Inhaling a deep breath of cool air, she looked up in wonder as a cascade of color illuminated the dark sky. She was certainly not expecting this. She was even more surprised when she saw Kara get up and take a seat beside her, her warm form pressing against her side in the small boat.

“What do you think?” Kara asked in her ear, and Cat had to suppress a shiver at the sensation.

“It’s beautiful.” And it really was. Right where they were, they had a prime view of the whole spectacle. Cat could see the fireworks cleary; the way they made their ascent and burst out into a thousand different colors and shapes giving everything an unusual warm glow. They truly had the best seats.

After a moment, Cat couldn’t help herself and turned to look at the woman sitting beside her. Kara’s eyes seemed to glow as she looked up at the sky, and her face was intermittently illuminated by different colors, highlighting her beautiful features.

“Yes, truly beautiful,” she breathed, sure that her words would be drowned in the thunderous explosions. Instead Kara suddenly started and turned to look at her, surprise evident in her features.

“Miss Grant...” she squeaked in response, the treacherous flush of her cheeks visible by the light illuminating them. They both looked at each other for a few seconds, Kara’s gaze so unusually intent that Cat was afraid her face might be melted off any second by the heat of it. She looked away after a moment, though, and Cat was left with a hammering heartbeat. Looking up up to the sky again, she resolved to keep her gaze firmly trained there until the show ended.

After a while the fireworks died off, leaving an unusual ringing in Cat’s ears and leaving her feeling strangely exhilarated. Kara wordlessly got up and began rowing the boat back to the pier, looking anywhere but at her.

Only after a few seconds did Cat realize her heart was still beating manically and that she was practically panting. Trying to compose herself, she dipped her right hand in the cold lake, the shock on her warm skin not entirely unpleasant, causing soft ripples in the otherwise still water.

Again, the urge to splash some on her face made a sudden appearance so she retracted her hand before she did something she would regret in the morning. Speaking of regrets… she thought she might be even drunker than she was before. A terrible drowsiness began to invade her as she tried to remain alert, eyes starting to flutter close. Shaking her head didn’t seem to be working so she looked up to Kara who was still pensively rowing the boat.

A sudden flashback of her bare arms chopping firewood made its way into Cat’s present consciousness eliciting a dangerous response. Realizing those same arms were now effortlessly rowing her back to safety caused a spark of heat to shoot through her. Oh yes, she was very drunk indeed.

A soft chuckle made her realize she had said those last words out loud and she was suddenly blinded by Kara’s immense smile.

“You’ll be home soon, Miss Grant. I promise.”

“How many times do I have to insist you call me Cat?” At least she wasn’t slurring. That would have been a new low for her.

“Right. I’m sorry. It’s just that it’s still nerve-wracking to be on a first-name basis with the Queen of All Media.” Kara shook her head in wonder and Cat thought she looked adorable.

They were rapidly approaching the small pier, so Kara got up and swiftly threw a rope around one of the posts, to keep the boat in place, before offering a hand to Cat. Getting up unsteadily, the former CEO grabbed Kara’s arm and kept it in a vice-like grip as she was effortlessly lifted up into the pier.

Climbing up after her, Kara offered her arm again when she saw Cat swaying unsteadily. “Did you bring your car?”

Cat nodded in response as they began their trip back to the parking lot. Drowsiness was again clouding her thoughts, so once she had heavily plopped down in the car seat of her Escalade she succumbed to a deep slumber.

She would intermittently wake up, so she was vaguely aware that someone was driving her back to her cabin. Drifting in and out of consciousness, she thought she felt someone carrying up the stairs, or did she walk all the way up? At any rate, she was soon comfortably wrapped in her favorite blanket and drifting off to sleepland. The last thought she had before succumbing was that she felt something like a soft kiss being bestowed upon her forehead along with a soft “Good night, Cat”.But it was probably just her imagination, right?

**Author's Note:**

> Come yell at me on tumblr I'm cat-danvers


End file.
